Balincaguin Conservancy Grotto

4-5 Dec 2009 - At the request of the Municipality of Sison, Pangasinan, BC sent a reconnaissance team to explore Sison's caves to determine their potential as tourist destinations. The pilot trip was a demanding hike following the Sapid Creek involving boulder hopping, many stream crossings and a ridgewalk with an elevation gain of 500 meters in a short distance!

Day1 was a hike that our guides do in two hours; we did it in three-and-one-half grueling hours. The first cave, Guesset Cave, was 3.7 kilometers (GPS distance) with the most elevation gain. The cave has a vertical entrance with an 8-meer drop and our guides rigged vines, Tarzan style, and made the drop but the BC members declined. We were able to use our new phrases, "ON VINE!" and "OFF VINE!" According to the guides there is a second short drop from an overhang then goes horizontal for about 100 meters and houses lots of bats (2 species captured).

Photo gallery...

The second cave, Elias Cave (another half-hour away, UPHILL AGAIN) has a small obscure entrance so still pristine and thank goodness HORIZONTAL for about 150 meters. We spent more time here for photos.

On the way back we stop by what we're calling Graffiti Cave, a small cave used as an overnight camp by many. And the last cave was Tawa-Tawa (Window) Cave because of its large skylight at the center of its dome ceiling. It's a short thru-cave that would be good for SRT practice.

We decided to take a dirt road (killer downhill) back to basecamp. We would used this road if it wasn't damaged the previous typhoons; some of the ruts were a foot or two deep so not passable by vehicles until it is repaired. Many areas in Sison is still recovering from these typhoons and ince it is at the foothill of the Cordilleras Mts. there were lots of landslides.

On Day2, we were Kling-ons or Tag-a-longs during a trip set to Antong Waterfalls for some foreign guests of the municipality. There were some minor caves at the picnic area and upstream but none of significant size. The steep canyon gave lots of photo ops with its numerous falls, deep pools and large boulders.

We are scheduling several trips back which will involve camping near the caves to eliminate daily hikes back to the resort. The next area has at least five caves in near proximity including a long horizontal that is the main destination of Baguio Tourists which needs mapping.

Our thanks to Mayor Kimi S. Cojuangco, Brgy. Captain Dionisia Sidogen of Labayug (basecamp at Eastern Star Resort), Brgy. Captain Virgilio Marquez (Antong Falls), and Manong Karyo (Exec. Secretary) for the accommodations and logistics of this pilot trip! Thanks also to our guides, Noel Boliney, Pedro Apias, Joven Pal-ing & Demar Baiguen, especially for their patience during the long long hike!

Note: Some of the photos taken during this pilot trip will be used in a multimedia slideshow during Sison's Town Fiesta (Dec. 14, 15 &16.)